Crossing Cultures, Transforming Lives Through the Gospel

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shhhhh……..

Remember those ads from back in the day? They featured an attractive woman with a soft, sexy voice. (Bonus points if you can remember the product she was selling!)

There’s some wisdom in those words. I thought about this over the weekend, while I celebrated my son’s eighth birthday with my (very loud) family. My brother was trying to get the birthday boy’s attention by repeating requests over and over in a loud voice. No matter how many times he yelled tried to get Luke’s attention, it made no difference. Finally, I went over to my son and whispered in his ear. That did the trick.

Perhaps we can apply this to our lives as Christians, as well. How often do we try to get the attention of others with fanfare and extravagance rather than simplicity? We think we have to loudly broadcast our faith if we want others to hear about it. Don’t get me wrong – I’m in the media business, and I think we should use everything at our disposal to proclaim the Gospel. I also don’t believe we should hide our beliefs or downplay the importance of our values.

What I’m really doing is profoundly agreeing with the wisdom of St. Francis of Assisi: Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.

What matters so much more than what we say – in a shout or a whisper – is what we do. If we live a life that has Jesus at the center, a joyful life focused on God and others, we will be naturally attractive.

This is what our missionaries do. All over the world, they live simply among people of many faiths and cultures. They don’t come into communities blaring trumpets and announcing that they have all the answers. Rather, they pray for their own conversions and attract others to the Christian life through their example.

Today, try to whisper the Gospel to everyone you meet. Smile. Go a little out of your way to do something nice for someone. Be gentle when you want to be impatient. Smile some more.

Let your life be a (quiet) reminder to others that God wants a relationship with all of us.

The product being sold in those ads? It was one of the following: A. State Farm insurance B. Hershey’s chocolate C. Coty perfume D. Hane’s underwear